Honeymoon (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Howard Roughan (Author) "NORA COULD FEEL Connor watching her..." (more)
Key Phrases: vanilla hazelnut, flash drive, delivery guy, Craig Reynolds, New York, Nora Sinclair (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

To be published on Valentine's Day, this solid and enjoyable but not exceptional thriller about a Black Widow killer has been selected by Bookspan as the "2005 International Thriller of the Year." That's obviously jumping the gun, and probably has more to do with the unusual sales gambit by which Bookspan was allowed to sell the book prior to bookstore distribution than with the novel's quality. Still, megaseller Patterson, here writing for the first time with Roughan (The Up and Comer), again shows his usual flair for brisk narrative, strong suspense and genuine twists in tracing the story of how FBI agent John O'Hara tracks down serial killer Nora Sinclair. As the novel opens, beautiful Nora, an interior designer for the very rich, and already wealthy after having killed her first husband for his inheritance, is juggling an engagement to a hedge-fund manager in tony Briarcliff Manor in upstate New York and a marriage to a bestselling author in Boston. She intends to kill both, but chooses the hedge-fund manager first; after she poisons him, enter O'Hara, posing as a sympathetic insurance investigator but secretly working to nab Nora. In time, Nora seduces O'Hara, so his attempt to catch her is compromised by lust; there's also a major subplot involving a suitcase containing documents pointing to more than a billion dollars transferred to Cayman Islands banks, a subplot fully tied into the main plot only near book's end. O'Hara and particularly Nora stand as two of Patterson's most complex characters yet, but the narrative, while nearly impossible to stop reading, doesn't have the emotional pull of the author's Alex Cross novels or some of his Women's Murder Club titles. This is one canny thriller, though, and Patterson's millions of fans will be most pleased. Expect sky-high sales.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The year 2004 saw three books from Patterson, and he's showing no signs of slowing down. In a departure from both the Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club series, Patterson takes on a romance that is a far cry from the sweet love stories he has tried his hand at in the last few years. Nora Sinclair has a gorgeous Connecticut fiance, Connor. She had an equally sexy Boston husband, Jeffrey. But bad things happen to the men Nora gets involved with--her first husband died of a heart attack, and before long Connor meets a similar fate. The FBI is suspicious and sends agent John O'Hara to pose as an insurance investigator who dangles a tantalizing prize in front of Nora: a $1.9 million life-insurance policy on Connor's life, payable to Nora. She is suspicious, but she goes along with John's investigation into Connor's death. John isn't able to dig up much on Nora, but he does find himself in an awkward predicament when he realizes he's attracted to her. Patterson and cowriter Roughan's novel has all the trademarks of a Patterson-only thriller--short, suspenseful chapters; quick, punchy sentences; and a breakneck pace--and it delivers enough adrenaline that fans will likely forgive the novel's occasional implausibility. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st Edition edition (February 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316710628
• ISBN-13: 978-0316710626
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (281 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #203,479 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A return to the Patterson books I loved, March 25, 2005

By	Nancy R. Katz "NancyK18" (NJ) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In James Patterson's newest co authored novel, Honeymoon, one of the main characters is often heard saying to himself that "things aren't always the way they appear." And as the book Honeymoon unfolds these words couldn't be truer.

In this roller coaster read of a novel written by a master of suspense and co authored by Howard Roughan, readers are witness to a black widow, Nora Sinclair who masterminds the demise of three wealthy men. When an FBI agent is hot on her trail to prove her guilt. he finds himself unfortunately also caught in her web.

I really did enjoy this book. In many ways this was a return to
the old time Patterson writing that I have come to love over the year. And while I was still left with some unanswered questions I still highly recommend this book. Also, as I turned the last page it occurred to me that the word sequel was written all over this page as the main character John O'Hara is very bit as engaging as Patterson's well known character Alex Cross.

Finally, because I so enjoyed this book I also read Howard Roughans debut book The Up and Comer and plan on reading his second book as well. I always love finding a new to me author and if it wasn't for Honeymoon, this might not have happened.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars An overhyped, pedestrian thriller, March 24, 2005

By	Bill Garrison (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

"It might be time to give up on James Patterson. His newest effort, Honeymoon, exemplifies everything that has gone wrong with the writer's career. First, he is cranking out 3 to 4 books a year, usually with the help of a co-author. How can the books be expected to be good when each gets about 3 months of work. Second, the tagline below the title, ""2005 International Thriller of the Year."" What a bogus and ridiculous claim that is. The publishers or author obviously added that line to sell books. Honeymoon has won no such awards or accolades.

Finally, the following quote comes fromt the author's website. "You've been asked before, "Don't tell anyone the ending." With Honeymoon, don't tell anyone the beginning either. All writers have a book that they know is their best book, ever. Welcome to James Patterson's HONEYMOON." Either this is shameless marketing, or Patterson has lost his mind.

The plot of Honeymoon is the basic black widow story, the book jacket will tell you that. Many men who come in contact with the beautiful Nora Sinclair are dying. That's why FBI agent John O'Hara is investigating her. That's what the book jacket tells us, O'Hara is FBI. But the novel pretends this is a mystery, trying to hide O'Hara's identity as well as Susan, his boss, like it is some big mystery. Another problem is Nora's mother, who is locked away in an insane asylum after killing her husband. Toward the end of the book, Patterson comes right out and says Nora's mom has a big secret that will reveal why Nora might be the way she is and why Nora's mom actually killed her husband, except Patterson never reveals it.

From the website, when Patterson says don't tell anyone the ending, or the beginning, I have to ask, why? The beginning is nothing special and the ending, is well, rather plain. The ending is just another twist in the plot, not a surprise twist on the fate or identity of the characters, and therefore, it isn't a surpise at all.

I urge Patterson fans to not pay full price for this pulp. I wish Patterson would reread some of his earlier books like Along Came a Spider or Kiss the Girls so he could rethink the claim that this is his best book ever. The so-called "2005 International Thriller of the Year" will be forgotten before summer of 05. It is not original or unique. If it wasn't for Patterson's history or his own hype over this rather ordinary book, then I wouldn't be bashing it so much. As it is, I give it one star.

48 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Patterson Delivers Sexy and Suspenseful Thriller, June 21, 2005

By	Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The very complex Nora Sinclair is faced with the age-old question of whom to kill first---her husband or her fiancé. Murder is the name of her game, having already poisoned her first husband and currently in the process of whipping up tainted entrees for her two latest conquests. Nora is beautiful, seductive, and totally enthralling to men. Capturing them is easy; the thrill comes with the murders and the transfer of their millions to her Cayman Island account.

Will Nora meet her match in FBI agent John O'Hara? Will she be able to seduce the professional man hand-picked to destroy her? Will his cover be blown? And who is the mother of those children he is taking to Yankee stadium?

The novel races along with short, suspenseful chapters that keep the reader's adrenaline flowing and make it near impossible to quit turning the pages.

O'Hara's father warned him that things aren't always the way they appear and many twists in this book give credence to that mantra.

My only disappointment is that the author failed to let us know the contents of the letter Nora's mother, a husband-killer herself, wrote to her daughter. However, if you like your sex steamy and your plot twists surprising, this will be a top-notch story for you to savor.